Conservation awareness initiative trains 50 Pangolin Protectors and promotes community action for one of the world’s most threatened and illegally trafficked mammals.

Ukhrul, Aug 5 | EKHON: ENFOGAL, in collaboration with the Zoo Department of Pettigrew College, organised a conservation awareness programme titled “Play for Pangolin” to engage students and communities in protecting the endangered Chinese Pangolin.

The programme was conducted under the Community-Led Conservation of Chinese Pangolin in Manipur initiative, with support from GreenHub and Royal Enfield.

Through interactive games, learning activities and football matches, students were introduced to the ecological importance of pangolins, the threats they face and the role communities can play in protecting wildlife.

The Chinese Pangolin is among the world’s most threatened and illegally trafficked mammals. Threatened by hunting, illegal wildlife trade and habitat loss, the species plays an important ecological role by helping control insect populations and maintain the balance of forest ecosystems.

“A species can vanish in silence long before we notice its absence. The pangolin’s survival depends not on what we know, but on what we choose to protect before it’s too late,” said Chingrisoror Rumthao, WTI Field Officer.

As part of the wider conservation initiative, 50 Pangolin Protectors have been trained. Conservation stories have also been documented, while the presence of pangolins and threats to the species have been recorded through community-based monitoring and camera-trap installations.

The “Play for Pangolin” initiative uses sports and participation to make conservation more accessible to young people and encourage them to become advocates for wildlife protection.

Organisers said the programme highlighted the importance of cooperation among educational institutions, conservation organisations and local communities in safeguarding Manipur’s unique wildlife.

By combining education with play and community participation, the initiative seeks to inspire a new generation to understand, value and protect the Chinese Pangolin before the species disappears from the wild.